“I always told myself I’m never going to get this award because there’s other people way better than me,” Haynes said.

On Saturday, Haynes received the honor, which is awarded to a defensive upperclassman who “embodies the spirit of Mullins – courage, leadership, perseverance and determination” and will don Mullins’ No. 38 jersey this coming fall.

The senior defensive end joins recent winners, such as John Youngblood, Mike Hilton and D.T. Shackelford.

“My dad told me last night to wear the number with pride and keep working hard,” Haynes said. “That’s all I can do right now.”

Haynes led Ole Miss with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season. He finished third on the team with 53 tackles. Haynes is third in program history with 24.5 career sacks.

“When he first got here he wouldn’t look at you, his head was always down. His body posture was just bad. He just didn’t have any encouragement or confidence,” Ross Bjork, Ole Miss athletics director, said. “Part of what we’re charged to do is give these guys hope, positive attitude, a great environment to thrive in. So they could (reach) the best of their abilities. Marquis is the epitome of all that.”

Receiver Markell Pack won the Eli Manning Award for most improved offensive player in the spring. Linebacker Detric Bing-Dukes won the Jeff Hamm Memorial Award for most improved defensive player.

The Park Stevens Memorial Scholarship, awarded to the top walk-on of the spring, went to Dawson Knox.